Mistaken
by CheshireNeko122
Summary: The Homunculis clan is asked to kidnap Edward's friend, Winry. Will they kill her? Will they lure Edward out? A love story unfolds between a captor and his captive.
1. Chapter 1: Orders

**I don't own anything written here. Nope, nothing. Also, I'm writing this from the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood storyline, in which I have only watched about 21 episodes. If something is missing, it just means I haven't watched it yet, so don't get frustrated. Be patient.**

The home of the Humunculi was quite a decrepit place. Wires hung from the ceiling, scrap metal strewn everywhere. Father sat in the corner, busily writing something. All his Humunculi children had gone out, to do their own thing. No one was ever home. Despite this, Father was never lonely. He hated all of his Humunculis, and was disgusted with all of their feeble powers. He would destroy them one day, but for now, he'd use them.

A wonderful idea popping into his head, he called forth one of his less experienced Humunculi. A cat-like figure stood before him, adorned with a corset, massive claws, and a long twitchy tale.

"Cheshire, I have a task for you." His deep, grumbly voice echoed through the metal walls.

"Really?" he yelled, excitedly. Father never gave him things to do. "W-What is it, Father? I promise, I'll do it perfectly!"

"There's an alchemist out there by the name of Edward Elric. Him and his brother are close friends with a human, named Winry." He said. "She is the one who repairs the alchemist's auto-mail. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Cheshire shook his head, sending a spike of annoyance through Father. "Stupid child, I'm sending you to kidnap this Winry girl. You'll hold her here, in which it will leave the alchemist and his brother helpless when their auto-mail gets broken. It will also lure them here, where all the Humunculi can destroy him. Understand?"

"Yes, Father, I understand now!" he squeaked, overflowing with joy. "I'll bring her to you, right away!" and with that, he left. A deep laugh resonated from Fathers throat as he sat back and awaited the cat's return.

Cheshire happily bounded from rooftop to rooftop, careful not to trip. He knew that the Fullmetal Alchemist's friend was from a small valley, only a little ways away from the Head Quarters. He giggled with joy in pleasing Father as he jumped onto a tree and continued his journey. An old railway man was announcing the departure of the train to the very valley he was headed, so he nimbly leapt onto the train. He morphed into his other form, that of a common house cat, and lay on the roof.

The train left, speeding along the tracks and sending sparks flying into the air. Cheshire loved trains. He always read the books Father had given him, and most of them had trains in them. He had asked for a model set of a train, but had gotten punished for asking. Father had always taught them that if they asked for something, they wouldn't get it. Cheshire never asked for anything again.

The train ground to a halt a half-an-hour later, and Cheshire jumped from the train to the roof of the station. Waiting until everyone had dispersed, he transformed into his natural form and started walking up the hill. He had been told this Winry person lived in an auto-mail fixing shop, so he walked with diligence. He noticed that they lived near a graveyard, full of white tombstones. His brother, Envy, had told him that if you stay near a graveyard too long, the ghosts will come get you. He hurried along quickly.

There was also a pile of burned ruins along the road. Beams of wood jutted out of the ground, while bricks where strewn everywhere. He wondered if the people who lived there were buried in the graveyard. He finally came across a small house with a green roof and a big sign that said "Auto-Mail fixings, done here!" He smiled happily, knowing he had found the place. He knew he'd be hurting someone by following Father's wishes, but he always did what Father said. Hurting Father was worse than hurting a human.

The sun was nearly setting, and he knew it would be easier to sneak in at night. Although he hated having to wait to please Father, he slunk around to the back of the house and hid in the canopy of the trees. The sun dipped below the horizon, bathing everything in a gold light, turning the world golden. He stopped for a moment to watch the sunset. He had only seen pictures of them in his books, but this was the first time he had seen a real one.

Enjoying the last rays of the sun, he waited until it was dark and dropped down from the trees. He stealthily climbed up the side of the house and landed on the balcony, careful not to make a sound. The door to the upstairs room was left unlocked, so he quietly swung it open. Inside was a densely decorated room, full of posters of auto-mail and tools. Pieces of metal where strewn across a desk, glinting in the moonlight.

_This is definitely this 'Winry' person._ Cheshire thought. He slowly sauntered across the room, and stood in front of the young girl's bed. His foot creaked on a board, and she slowly turned around in her bed. Her eyes stayed closed, so he thought he was okay. Then they flicked open, and grew wide with fear.

Cheshire acted quickly, clamping his paw down onto her mouth. Her muffled voice sounded worried and frightened, but he scooped her up into his arms. "Sorry, but Father wants to see you."


	2. Chapter 2: New Home

Gracefully leaping out her balcony door, he quickly hopped across the ground. Once he got a little farther away, he'd take to the trees. She squirmed in his arms, screeching and flailing her arms, but to no avail. Cheshire had to struggle to hold her, wrapping both his arms around her. Her blond hair blew in the wind as he sprinted down the valley hills. This was the first time Father had sent him to do a job away from the alchemist HQ. He was so happy he had done it well, he almost skipped the way home. If not for his distracting passenger. He removed his paw from her mouth; they were far enough away from civilization that she wouldn't be heard.

"What do you think you're doing, you freak?" she screamed, her face inches away from his. "Put me **down**!"

"I'm sorry, but it's Father's orders. I have to bring you to him right away~." He said with a chipper tone.

"Father? What does your dad want with me?" she screamed, pounding her fists against his paws.

"Probably to inconvenience the Elric brothers. He doesn't want you fixing their auto-mail anymore. Plus, he's trying to lure them to the Humunculis clan." He said. He wasn't afraid to dispatch information. There would be no way for her to share it.

"Humunculis? You're a Humunculis?" she screeched even louder.

"Ack- You're so loud. My hearing is better than yours, you know. Yes, I am a Humunculis." He growled, revealing the two Aura Boris tattoos on each of his hands. "Can't you see that?"

"But…does that mean I'm going to be a sacrifice?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fear. She had stopped struggling, much to Cheshire's enjoyment.

"I don't think so, but Father wants the Elric brothers for sacrifice. He says that they're possibly the most powerful alchemists in the region. Except for him, of course. Father is the most powerful person in the world!" he said with awe. "He created me, and all my brothers and sisters!"

"Brothers? Sisters? You're all related?" she asked.

"Yeah, but they don't like me very much…" he said, a little sadly. "Father based all of them on the Seven Deadly Sins. Me, I'm just a random one, used for chores and such. I'm like a servant."

Her eyes sparkled, as she shifted in his arms. She almost fell out, but he tightened his grip on her. She looked almost sad.

"Hey, you're kinda cute 3 Maybe I'll ask Father to keep you as a pet when he's done with you. ~" he said, happily. She continued struggling, most likely opposed to the idea of being a pet.

Scaling a mountain with quick, horse-like speed, they came upon the great temple-like building that symbolized the Central Alchemist HQ.

"You're home…is under the HQ?" she said, confused.

"Uh-huh. Father told me once that the leader of the Alchemists is a Humunculis. I think he said his name was wrath or something…that was probably it. I wanna be like him one day~. He's so strong, I could never have powers like him." he squealed, looking off into the distance.

"W-What? General Bradley is a Humunculis?" She said, her eyes growing even wider. "But…that would mean…this whole time…the country has been led by a villain?"

"I don't think he's a villain, but that's correct." He explained. "My brother even started the war between the Ishvallen and the Alchemists."

She dropped her head low, looking at the speeding ground underneath her. "This is so much to take in…" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Hm? Well honestly, I don't think you'll survive very long. Father is kind, but only to the people he can use and us Humunculis. Excluding me. I doubt he'll like you very much." He said, as if it were the most simple concept one could imagine.

She remained in silence the rest of the way, hanging limp in his arms. _Has she given up?_ He thought. He didn't want to make the girl sad, he just wanted to please his Father. Father was the one person in the world that Cheshire could look up to, aside from Bradley. He had met him once, but was cruelly spat on, despised for his impertinence. Although Cheshire felt insulted by the action, he still strived to be just like him.

Arriving at the small gate that led to the underground lair, he pulled it open and carried Winry inside. She looked up as he walked down the sewers, and saw hundreds of gleaming, red eyes staring at her curiously.

"W-What are those?" she whispered, fear clouding her thoughts.

"Those are the gatekeepers. Don't worry, they only attack intruders." He said calmly.

They entered into a large room, full of spinning gears and snaking tubes. They looked like snakes, winding along the ground, waiting for someone to come just so they could trip them. Cheshire excitedly bounded over each of them, presenting himself in front of an old, decrepit man. He scratched his beard as he leaned forward in his chair. He didn't smile.

"F-Father, I did it! I brought the alchemist's friend to you!" he chirped, radiating excitement. "Right on time, too!"

"On time? You call 24 hours on time?" he snarled, standing up. "Sloth could have done it in less, and he's, well…a sloth!"

Cheshire recoiled in fear, bowing his head low. Winry noticed he was trembling slightly. "Ah…I'm sorry, Father, but..." he whispered, but Father cut him off.

"But what? Where you chasing butterflies again? Small birds? There are no excuses!" he yelled, making Cheshire back away even farther.

Whimpering slightly, he walked forward and placed Winry on the ground before Father's feet. "Well…I got her, didn't I?" he whispered.

"Fine, fine, just get out of my sight." He growled, massaging his temples.

"Ah- But Father…where will she stay? While she's here, I mean…" he whispered, bowing even lower.

"Well, I've no room for her…I guess she'll stay with you for the time being, in that pig sty you call a room." He growled, waving his hands. He brightened slightly, his eyes losing their gloom. "Anyways, I don't want her right now, so get her out of here."

"Y-Yes, Father!" he said, and scooped Winry up once again. Running to one of the walls, he quickly scaled it; one had holding Winry, and one hand hooking the barred surface. Giving a small shriek, she quickly quieted, knowing Cheshire would drop her if he was distracted.

He climbed through a small hole in the roof, which led to an air duct. Quickly worming his way through, he climbed through another hole into a small room. The room was widely decorated with pillows piling up on the ground, as well as a stack of books in the corner. There were Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, lighting the room with colorful glows. Blankets were strewn everywhere, making it look cozy and comfy; no doubt a place where a cat would enjoy itself.

"Phewf…I definitely thought Father would hit me again…" he huffed, carrying her into the room. "It's a little messy, but this is where I sleep at night."

He put her down, as she stood up and looked around. The walls where still plated metal, wires hanging from the ceiling, in which lights were coiled around. A hum sounded in the distance, likely a generator or some other machinery. It didn't feel like a home.

"This is where you stay?" she whispered. He nodded his head, smiling like a child. "But…it's so…dark…"

"Yeah, but I like it here. It's all colorful. ~" he squealed, flopping down on his mountain of pillows. She continued to mull around, taking a god look at her jail cell.

"So…is that hole the only way out?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm. It's easy for me, because I'm really good at climbing." He said, smiling.

She still looked uncertain of finding any solace in the place he called 'home' but went over and sat on the pile of pillows anyways. She noticed a small door in the wall.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the door.

"Hm? Oh, that's the bathroom. Don't worry, it's much cleaner than here." He said, giggling.

Shivering in distaste, she lay back, thinking of the next few days. She would probably be here for a while. Or not, if Father decided to kill her. Despite Cheshire's warm welcome into his home, she still felt scared and alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Foundation

**Author's note! I still don't own anything. Now, I've watched 43 episodes, so I've found out more about the Homunculus clan. See, I know how to spell it now, too. Also, I've learned that Salim is Pride, in which I was very upset, because he's so cute and all. Oh, well. This is still based on the Brotherhood storyline. Also, in case you don't notice, the book he's reading is The Giving Tree. I don't own that, either, it's by Shel Silverstein. Enjoy~**

Cheshire didn't seem inclined to let Winry go any time soon, and instead, seemed to take a liking to her. He would bombard her with question after question; who Edward and Alphonse were, what her home was like, all these things and more. She still felt a distant disgust for the deformed, cat like being, although she didn't have much of a choice. It had been three days of captivity for her now, and all she had to eat was dried loafs of bread and stale water. She hadn't taken a shower in three days, either.

"If you want to take a shower, there's one in the bathroom." Cheshire had said. She felt horrified of the idea of being supposedly naked just meters away from the demented, broken-home cat boy, but again, she didn't have much of a choice. Uneasily climbing into the surprisingly pristine-clean bathtub, she closed the curtains and turned the tap. She was thankful there was hot water.

Skittishly washing her hair, she listened for every sound that could come from the door. After she was done, she saw that there was a closet full of towels, bath robes, all sorts of things. It seemed Cheshire was quite the hygienic person. Drying her hair and putting on her old clothes, she came out of the bathroom to see Cheshire sitting against his mountain of pillows, a book laid across his lap. It looked like a children's book, but he seemed to quite enjoy it as he read it out loud.

"...But time went by. And the boy got older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day, the boy came to the tree and the tree said, 'Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk, and swing from by branches, and eat apples, and play in my shade, and be happy.'" He read. Winry immediately recognized the book, for it was one of her favourites when she was growing up.

She cleared her throat audibly, and he turned around, closing his book.

"I'm done in the shower." She said, walking across the metal floor.

"Okay. I'm just reading this..." he said, gesturing towards the book. "It's a new one Father gave me."

"I used to read that, when I was little. It was one of my favourites." She answered, sitting beside him.

"Really? You've read this?" he yelled, his eyes sparkling. She nodded her head, as he giddily opened up his book again, and flipped to the page he was on. "I really like this book. The words are easy to read."

"How did you learn?" she asked. "To read, I mean."

"Father taught me. I'm not very good, but Father says if I keep practicing, someday I'll be able to read as well as him." He answered, smiling. "Father's really smart; he teaches me and my brothers and sisters all sorts of things."

"Hmm...This 'Father' of yours seems nice. Aside from the destroying Amestris part." Winry said, sounding bemused.

"He _is_ nice! ~" Cheshire mused, currently forgetting all about the side comment. Finished with his book, he placed it neatly on top of a pile of other children's books, each of which looked worn and tattered. He seemed to treasure each one of them, like precious jewels. He returned to the pillows, laying back on them and stretching like a cat.

"Hey, Winry, do you wonder if that Edward person is looking for you?" Cheshire asked.

"Probably. He must have figured out I'm gone by now." She answered, sounding sad. "I hope he makes it here. Wherever 'here' is."

"I do hope he finds you. You don't belong in a place like this." He murmured, checking his claws for marks. "You're only here because Father wants you."

She felt surprised for a moment, before deciding the conversation was silly. She lay down on the pillows, and decided to sleep away the awkward.

Edward paced feverishly back and forth through the halls of the Alchemist HQ, leaving muddy boot prints along the linoleum floor.

"Where is she? She's been gone for too long! She's not at her house, she's not with Garfield, where could she have gone?" he shouted angrily, Alphonse flinching at his raised voice.

"Brother, please, there's no use complaining about it. Something could be horribly wrong." He said, sitting on the floor at the end of the hall.

Edward whipped his head around, his eyes glowing a fiery red that rivalled the fires of hell. "ALPHONSE, AREN'T YOU CONCERNED FOR YOUR ARMOR? This is no time for worrying what could have happened, all that matters is that if she's gone, there's no way my auto-mail can be repaired!" he shrieked.

Alphonse sighed in defeat, knowing that wasn't the _only_ reason he was worried. Alphonse always knew there was some connection between Edward and Winry, and that Edward deeply cared about her. Getting up, he walked over to Edward, standing in front of him to keep him from pacing.

"Hey, I bet it's those dirty Homunculi, trying to put us in an awkward position. Yeah, that's gotta be it! Stupid Homunculi!" Edward shrieked, skittering down the hall to the head office, Alphonse in tow. Bolting through the door to Roy Mustang's chamber, Edward feverishly explained his epiphany to the confused colonel.

"...And that's why we need to kill the homunculi!" he yelled. "They have my engineer!"

"Yes, yes, calm down, Edward. We'll get your precious darling Winry back." Roy teased, buttoning the golden buttons on his uniform. Edward turned a deep red, Alphonse trying to keep the volcanic Alchemist calm.

"DAMMIT, YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE, DON'T YOU! MY ENGINEER IS MISSING, AND AS LONG AS SHE IS, MY AUTO-MAIL IS IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY!" Edward screeched, exploding through the doors of the chamber back out into the hallway.

"Oh, boy..." Alphonse sighed, hurrying through the doors after his catastrophic brother.


	4. Chapter 4: Punishment

***Author's note! I've finished watching the Brotherhood series. I kinda hoped more stuff would happen between Roy and Risa. Oh, well. Now, I know everything about the Homunculus! So no more errors~! Enjoy!**

Cheshire lazily yawned as he crawled through the small opening that led to his room. Father had unexpectedly called him for some reason, and he didn't want to refuse a job to do. As he skittered down the wiry walls of the chamber, he saw that Father was talking to his brother, Pride.

"Father, I don't understand why Wrath is keeping all these things a secret." Pride scowled, unafraid of the powerful beast before him. "I'm sure his nation would love to know they have an invincible king."

Father scratched his head, un-amused, but answered his question anyways. "Pride, if people knew the monster that Wrath was, they would be afraid, not happy."

"But what about his wife! He hasn't even told her yet! It's not fair, keeping all these things to himself, when we could be the leaders of the whole world!" Pride screeched, seething with rage. "Invincible beings, ruling the world…it could be magnificent! But you're making him keep quiet! You-"

"Pride! Shut up!" Father howled, making the small boy flinch. "I've already told you your answer. Now no more questioning!" Still radiating anger, Pride slunk out of the room, done with the conversation.

Hoping his Father wasn't in too bad of a mood, Cheshire humbly presented himself to the gray, old man. "Father…you called?" he squeaked.

"Ah, Cheshire. Bring that girl to me." He asked, waving his hand, dismissing him.

"Winry? But…what are you going to do-"

"I GAVE YOU YOUR RDERS, NOW DO THEM!" Father howled, for the second time that day, sending Cheshire bounding back to his room. "Stupid cat."

Guiltily slithering into his room, he was greeted by an unexpected smile. "Cheshire, you're back! What did Father want?" Winry asked, completely unafraid.

"He…wants me to bring you to him…" Cheshire mumbled, walking towards her.

"To him? What for?" she asked, standing up from the pillows.

"That…I don't know." He quickly scooped Winry up, as she squiggled in his arms. Nimbly dropping through his hole, he plopped Winry on the ground at Father's feet.

"Good. You may leave." Father hissed, dismissing him.

"Ah-! But-"he squeaked, but went skittering away as beams of red electricity shot towards him. Feeling even guiltier now, Cheshire hugged his knees close to his chest as he awaited the command to take Winry back. He hated that he had to give such a nice girl to a horrible man like his Father. He had considered many times defying his Father, and escaping to the outside world. Although he could easily sneak out of the jail that imprisoned him, Father would most likely destroy him as soon as he was found.

Cheshire was woken from the nap he hadn't realized he had been taken. Horrible screams were echoing from the lower chamber, ricocheting throughout the establishment and rattling Cheshire's bones.

Frightened by the sudden scream, he poked his nose out of his hole, and saw Winry crumpled at Father's feet. She was breathing heavily, as a steady stream of blood flowed from her mouth. Father seemed to sense his presence, because he looked up and locked eyes with Cheshire.

"You see, Cheshire? This is what happens if you disobey me. I know everything you're thinking, and don't you dare ever leave this place without my say so. Now, take her away." He grunted, red electricity crackling around his knuckled.

Scurrying down from his perch, he discreetly scoped the limp girl into his arms and smuggled her into his room. Laying her down gently on the pillows, he eagerly tried to wake her.

"Winry! Winry, wake up!" he called, but all she muttered were helpless moans. Whimpering in fear that she would never wake, he covered her with blankets and made sure she was taken care of. After about an hour of care, Winry sleepily opened her eyes. She seemed startled when she saw Cheshire's face looming uneasily over hers.

"Nnh…." She mumbled, turning her head.

"Oh, Winry! You're awake!" Cheshire excitedly beamed, leaping back to give her room.

She sat up groggily, wiping the dried blood from her cheek. "What happened?" she mumbled.

"Ah-! I don't know myself…but…I'm sorry he did it…" Cheshire whispered solemnly.

"It wasn't your fault…" she whispered, sitting straighter. It made Cheshire feel a little better, but he knew in his heart it was because he had thought of escaping. It made him shutter with unease. What else would he do to her?

Winry slept the rest of the day, but Cheshire couldn't help think that he was hurting her.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

"Come on, Alphonse, we have no time to waste!" Edward ordered, Alphonse clanking noisily behind him.

"Sorry, brother. It's just…we don't even know where to go!" Alphonse whined, trying to keep up with his brother as they ran through the garden of the Central Head Quarters. "We should at least find out where she is!"

Edward suddenly turned around, surprised by his brother. "Are you even worried that she's gone?" he screeched.

"Ah-! Of course, I am! Why else do you think I've been trying to track down any possible leads on who could have taken Winry?"

"Well, you could at least look like you want to find her!" Edward yelled, trudging along to the car parked along the sidewalk. "Now, hurry up!"

The car screamed in non-compliance as Alphonse crawled into the back, making the end of the car dip dangerously close to the ground. Screeching on the axles, Edward zoomed down the road, determined to find his friend.


	5. Chapter 5: Rest

**Finally, another chapter! I've finished watching all of Brotherhood and the normal FMA, as well as the movie! Know I know everything! Well, here's the next chapter for all of you, so please don't be fussy about the wait. Again, I don't own The Giving Tree, it's by Shel Silverstein. Enjoy~**

"Wouldn't you just calm down already?" Winry whined as Cheshire nervously skittered around the room. He had been doing so for a very long time now, and no matter what Winry had said, he wouldn't stop.

"I can't! Father knows everything I'm thinking, which means if I think something, he'll know it before I do!" Cheshire hissed, out of breath. He had been particularly agitated lately, since right after Winry had been called upon by Father.

"Well, then, just don't think anything wrong." She answered, as if it were the answer to all of life's problems.

"I can't help it, Winry, I CAN'T. Father knows, oh he knows…he knows ALL I'm thinking…" Cheshire chattered, climbing along the walls, searching for any crevice to stash himself in.

"Fine, but I wish you'd stop pacing like that. Normal people do it in a straight line, but you go all around the room." Winry complained, slouching back in one of the wooden chairs placed around the room. "I'm sure he doesn't even care what you're thinking."

He suddenly stopped, seemingly struck by her words. Dropping to the floor, he pondered this for a moment, and then went back to pacing. "No, no, nope, won't work. I'm sure ever since Father heard me thinking of escaping, he's been listening a whole lot. I know this, I do, I CAN FEEL HIM IN MY HEAD." He shrieked, clamping his massive paws down onto his head. After breathing heavily for a few moments, he started scuttling around the walls again.

Rolling her eyes, Winry sighed to herself and got up out of her chair. Deciding something to calm the poor cat, she plucked one of his story books from its stack and sat down next to the pillows. "Well, what if we read a story, then. Would that help?" she asked, knowing it'd be like babysitting a full-grown baby.

"….I don't know." He said, dropping from the ceiling. He still looked frazzled and anxious, but a little dimmer now.

"Alright then, sit down." She said, patting the spot next to her. He looked confused for a moment, tilting his head in a questioning manner. After contemplating the action, he reluctantly took the spot beside her, leaning in to see the pictures of the book.

"Have you read this book before?" she asked, flipping the pages until she was at the first one.

"Yeah, a whole bunch of times. But I like this one." He said, pointing to the cover. She noticed it was the one he had been reading when she'd left her shower that day. The book with the green cover.

"Alright." She said, clearing her throat. "'Once, there was a tree, and she loved a little boy."' She read, feeling him sink into her shoulder. She did sometimes wonder how old he was, although he looked just as old as her. It often looked as if he had the mind of a 6-year-old.

"'And every day, the boy would come, and he would gather her leaves, and make them into crowns, and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk, and swing from her branches, and eat apples."' She read, turning the pages. She had always loved this book, even as a small child. She would always get so sad, so much so that Ponocho often didn't read it to her.

"'And they would play hide and go seek, and when he was tired, he'd sleep in her shade. The boy loved the tree very much, and the tree was happy. But time went by, and the boy grew older, and the tree was often alone."' She read, but she could already hear Cheshire's soft breathing beside her, indicating he had fallen asleep.

She knew she couldn't move with him leaning against her shoulder, but she didn't want to sit like that for however long he'd sleep. Although, he hadn't slept in a long time, and perhaps she should leave him like that. But why would he fall asleep on her, and not on his mountain of comfy, plush pillows? Was she comforting somehow? Sighing in annoyance, she leaned back into the pillows, Cheshire blissfully sleeping on her shoulder.

~.~*~.~

"Alright, Alphonse, I think I might know where Winry is." Edward announced as they walked through the streets of Central. They had long abandoned the car, for Alphonse's weight had caused its little motor to die a very painful death.

"And where might that be, brother?" Alphonse asked, his metallic voice resonating through the streets.

"Well, a while ago, I went to Winry's house, and talked to Ponocho. She said she had seen what looked like a chimera in the trees." Edward said, turning a makeshift map in his hands to get a better look at it. "But what she said was she heard it speak! Apparently, she could hear him through the floorboards of Winry's room, and he said a few disturbing things."

"A chimera speaking? That hasn't happened since Nina…" Alphonse reminisced, scratching his metal chin. "Well, go on, what did it say?"

"He was very quiet, but he said something about 'father, homunculi, and central'. So if Winry's anywhere, she's in Central. You may now bring forth the wonderful compliments on how quickly I figured this out." Edward explained, sticking his nose in the air.

"Brother…we should really be thinking of _where _in Central Winry might be, not…compliments…" Alphonse whined. "Come one, Edward…I miss her."

"Well…I miss her, too, Al, so kick it into high gear! We got to find her!" Edward yelled, strangers staring in curiosity.

"Ooh, just you wait until I tell Winry that!" Alphonse teased, skipping down the sidewalk, his angry brother chasing after him.


	6. Chapter 6: Escape

The underground establishment was dark, in fact, it was too dark. There was always at least one light on, but now, there was nothing. Just complete darkness. Cheshire didn't know why he had been summoned now, when the place was unusually melancholy, but he obeyed nonetheless. Cautiously scuttling from the hole in the roof, he gingerly avoided giant wires, desks, and metal parts.

"You called…father?" he whispered in the dark, afraid to disturb such an ominous serenity.

"Ah, yes. I wanted to discuss something." Father's deep, low voice reverberated throughout the room, so that Cheshire didn't have to strain his ears to hear. He couldn't even see the man in front of him.

"Is there something wrong with the lights…? I can hardly see…" Cheshire whined, sitting on what felt like a long, fat tube.

"No, I just turned them off. There's nothing wrong with the darkness." Father sounded particularly strange today, although Cheshire was in no position to point this out.

"Well…alright…" Cheshire was a little worried as to the topic of conversation this night, but he would do anything for Father.

"I'm killing the girl." His voice pierced the air, leaving Cheshire dazed and unaware. The room swayed, as much of it as he could see, until he couldn't even register the cold feel of the metal he was sitting on.

"…what?" he finally squeaked, getting a dark chuckle from the old man.

"I've seen how you've grown attached to her. Don't worry, to feel grief of one's death is but a state of mind. I've decided that instead of ransoming the girl, I'll just remove those two alchemist's main export of parts. They'll be blind in the world, without their dear little friend." His voice was tinged with the proud one would feel in coming up with an amazing plan. And from Father's perspective, it was, but Cheshire couldn't handle it. He had never had a friend in his existence, not even his own family. This man had taken everything from him, although he had nothing to begin with.

Without a single shred of fear of the man who could destroy everything, Cheshire skittered away through the dark, and up to his room. He knew he'd be punished for it later, but he wanted to do all that he could to prolong the poor girl's existence.

Edward and his brother hurried through the streets, hot on the kidnapper's trail. They had found out where the Homunculi's lair was, and were going to exploit it. First, they had to make it through Monday rush-hour traffic. Dodging cars, and people as well, they finally made it across the street that led to their destination.

"Hey, Al, we're getting close." Edward wheezed, out of breath from their dance with the cars.

"Yeah…we can't stop now." Alphonse answered, his metallic voice ringing out through his helmet.

"Right. Come on!" Edward ordered, taking off down the street again. His brother staying close behind him, they zigzagged through alley ways, until they came to a small, barred door in one of the walls. They looked at each other, confirmed their suspicions, and ripped the gates open, plunging themselves into the lair of the Homunculus.

()()()()()()()()()

Winry screeched and kicked as Cheshire ferried her through the twisting wires, trying to keep away from the main staircase as much as possible.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" Winry howled, pounding her fists against Cheshire's back.

"Please be quiet…" Cheshire whispered his voice wavering. With every step he took, it pained him to have the girl curse and beat him, for she was his only friend. He had hoped that by now, she'd at least be used to him. "I have to get you out of here…"

"Out of here? But…why?" she was still nearly yelling, although she was a little quieter now.

"Father is finished with you. He'll destroy-"An explosion erupted to their left, smashing Cheshire against the adjacent wall. Whimpering in pain, he didn't miss a beat, as he was already skittering through the wires again. More explosions came, some laced with red electricity, sending the wires tumbling out of their sheaths. Cheshire clung to one of the ceiling wires with one hand, cradling a jarred Winry in the other. He was relieved she was unharmed, but she looked scared out of her mind.

Before he could take off again, Father's voice pierced his mind, sending him scrabbling along the slick, metal coils and clutching his head.

"_I know where you are, runt! There's no escape!"_ His voice was like snakes, slithering through space and coiling themselves around his head. Grunting in exasperation, he ignored the pounding voice and continued through the jungle of criss-crossed wires. Running and running, evading explosion after explosion, Cheshire finally made it to the sewer way. Because he was a homunculus, the guardians would leave him be, until Father got to them.

Running even faster now, Cheshire turned a corner, and ran smack face first into a giant suit of armor. Falling in a heap onto the floor, Alphonse was as humble as ever.

"S-Sorry! I didn't know you were there!" Alphonse said, waving his hands in front of him. Cheshire groggily got to his knees, his nose bleeding quite profusely, but was helped up by the shorter one. His hand clutched at the fabric of his shirt, holding him up off the ground.

"Don't apologize to him, Al; he's the one who kidnapped Winry!" Edward hissed, Cheshire trembling in his grasp. Alphonse finally getting the picture, he bent down and scooped the drowsy Winry off of the ground, checking to see if she was wounded.

"Ack…we have to…get out of here…" Cheshire choked, trying his best to prevent the inevitable.

"Don't you dare order me around! Why did you kidnap Winry?" Edward growled, priming his metal fist to attack him.

"It was not…my decision!" Cheshire rasped, scrambling to keep his feet on the floor. Another wave of tremors resonated through the sewers, as all the guardians became extremely agitated. Looking upon the intruders with extreme distaste, they poured from the rafters, sweeping across the floor towards them.

Deciding that running was best, Edward and Alphonse skittered out of the sewers, Cheshire and Winry in hand.


	7. Chapter 7: Found

It was like sprinting through the gates of hell. Monsters were raining down through the rafters, crashing into them and knocking them every which way. Alphonse would blaze a path through the carnage, swatting away the creatures, while Edward and friends tried their best to stay on their own two feet. After what felt like an eternity of fending themselves off, they emerged into the streets, breathing heavily despite the cool, refreshing afternoon.

"Winry…Winry, wake up…" Edward was gently shaking the groaning girl, looking genuinely worried. Her eyes flickered open, although she still looked groggy and out of it.

"Ouch…" she moaned, touching her palm to her forehead, still recovering from slamming into Alphonse. "Did we…did we make it?"

"Yeah…we're outside now…" Cheshire piped up, brushing off his dusty outfit. "Lucky we made it, too."

Edward suddenly looked quite upset, as if someone had insulted his height quite brutally. "You shut up, cat thing. If it weren't for you, Winry would never have been down there," he snarled, helping Winry to her feet. "You disgust me."

Cheshire felt quite hurt, because he had risked every part of his being to release her form him. He had never wanted her down there in the first place. "It's not MY fault…it's Father's…" he mumbled.

"No excuses! Winry could have died, and I'm getting excuses from a damn homunculus!" Edward shrieked, making Cheshire flinch. No one had ever yelled at him like that. Not even Father, and he was just cruel.

"Stop it, Edward. He was just following orders…" Winry muttered, steadying herself on Alphonse's metal body. "It wasn't his fault."

Now it was Edward's turn to look betrayed. "You…you're taking his side? Winry, after all you've been through?" Edward shrieked, his voice echoing through the buildings.

"Edward, no…that's not-" Winry tried to say, but Edward wouldn't hear it.

"Fine then! Go back to your disgusting homunculus friends!" Edward yelled, sprinting down the street.

"Edward, come back!" Alphonse yelled, but it was too late, as Edward was already around the corner and bolting off. "Edward…"

"Jeez, Edward, don't need to freak out…" Winry muttered, crossing her arms.

"Don't say that!" Alphonse yelled, startling all of them. 'He was really worried about you, you know! You could at least _look_ happy to see him!"

Surprise dawned on Winry's face, thinking of how upset he looked when he ran off. "I…I _was_ happy…" she whispered, her voice shaking. Sighing in resentment towards herself and the whole situation, she ran off down the street, chasing Edward who was already long gone.

"Ack! Now they're both gone!" Cheshire whined, wondering if he would even see them again. "Now what'll we do…?"

"Well, for starters, we should take you to Colonel Mustang. I'm sure Central would love to get a Homunculus on their hands." Alphonse answered, a mischievous look in his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8: Trial

A slow, yet steady, dripping noises resounded throughout the dark room, as well as the rattling of chains and the squeaking of mice. Cheshire had been sitting on the floor of a dank, dark, musty jail cell for at least the past 5 hours. He was wearing enlarged handcuffs that kept him sitting with his back against the wall, as well as braces for his feet. He was completely immobilized, which severely bothered the cat. He was used to jumping around and swinging from rafters. He had even been chained up a few times back home. But THIS…this was just horrible.

There were so many mice around, but he could chase none of them. He could have captured the falling droplets of condensation in one of his palms to gaze at his reflections. He had absolutely nothing to do. So he took up talking to himself.

"Sure is cold in here…" he whispered, to no one in particular. He had talked to himself a lot in the lair of the Homunculi. It wasn't awkward or anything to him now.

"Sure wish Winry would visit…" he sighed somberly.

"Why would you want Winry to visit you? She was your prisoner," He answered himself, engaging in a self-argument.

"Well, maybe I liked her a little," he whined.

"Liked her? She's just a normal human. You can find humans anywhere."

"Yeah…but you can't find many Winrys…" he sighed, sinking into a deep pit of loneliness.

"Shut up in there!" A hoarse voice screamed, startling Cheshire out of his trance-like argument. Sighing into the dark, he remained silent for a very long time before the steel bars of his cell clanged open. In the doorway stood Edward and Alphonse, as well as Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Armstrong.

"My God, look at that monster…" Armstrong gasped, taking in the disheveled sight of the deformed homunculus.

"He's the one that held Winry captive. Put him to death!" Edward demanded, getting supported nods from his brother.

"Silly Edward, one cannot simply _kill_ a homunculus. You must do about it in a special, if not debilitating horrifying way. First, we must find remains of his human body, and then get him to give up all those precious Philosopher Stones. THEN he is vulnerable to our weapons.

Cheshire gave a small whimper at all of the painful-sounding endings to his already shortened life, but truly, he was glad. He would die by the hand of someone who truly wished to end his life, not an army of Homunculi who could torture him for weeks and weeks before simply ripping the stones out of him. He hoped the execution would be done before this happened.

"Well, let's get him out of there, shall we?" Armstrong asked, the others nodding in return. They stormed the small cell, delivering several blows to Cheshire's head whilst blinding him and detaching him from the wall. He couldn't see anything at all, but he knew they were taking him to their Furor. A sick realisation ran through Cheshire's body as he remembered something. One of his brothers was the Fuhrur. He immediately began panicking, writhing in terror in the strong Alchemist's grip, and getting several more punches to the head for his troubles.

His brother, the most terrible and fearsome of them all, Wrath, would surely end him as soon as he could. His energy spent, Cheshire let his captors deliver him to his worst nightmare, and absolutely his last.

u_u

After at least 10 minutes of listening to his escorts jabber on about all the terrible way of how to torture information out of him, he was finally dumped on the hard floor of a large room. The hood shielding his vision was ripped away, leaving Cheshire blinking away spots and battle for vision. Several gasps went throughout the room as the Furor's subjects took in the horrid, beaten cat-thing.

"Please, be calm, everyone. Before you lays a creature so vile and tasteless, that he dare challenge the capitol of our glorious state. This, alone, is a crime punishable by death. Not only that, but he is one of the horrid Homunculi. For that, I do believe torture is in order." The Furor calmly regarded the broken Cheshire, as if he were simply gazing at a child who had simply wandered into an 'off-limits' zone.

"What shall we do, sir?" Roy Mustang asked, addressing his Furor with the sincerest of formalities.

"Well, before we start anything, I would like a word alone with the captive," The Furor asked, getting startled gasps out of the room.

"B-But sir, why would you want to be _alone_ with such a horrible monster?" Armstrong sputtered, sweat dribbling down his face.

"Lieutenant Armstrong, it seems you have forgotten your place," The Furor said calmly, placing a shamed expression upon Armstrong's brow. "Now; you will all leave the room, please."

As everyone grumbled in discontent, yet filed out as they were told, Cheshire and King Bradley were finally alone. He strutted around the room, not even really paying much attention to his brother. After a while, he let out a shamed 'tsk' and got down to it.

"Oh, Cheshire… Sometimes I question the reason as to why our Father even created you," he spat, causing the poor cat to flinch.

"Ah…B-Bradley- I m-mean, KING Bradley…sir…" Cheshire sputtered, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest and all over the nice, porcelain tiles.

"You disgusting creature. You do know that I'm not just going to let you go, right?" Bradley continued. "Father has given me special orders to eliminate you should you ever betray us. You do understand that, right?" he asked, coldness seeping into his voice.

"…yes, sir..." Cheshire answered, hope draining from his thoughts.

"Oh, and I'm also going to torture that Winry girl until she dies of exhaustion," Bradley threw in, just to watch Cheshire expression.

"N-No! I-I'll do whatever you want! You can beat me up for the rest of eternity! Just…just don't hurt Winry…" Cheshire whimpered, tears resting upon his eyelids.

"Oh, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, dear brother…" Bradley responded, still cool and collected. "In fact, we may be able to start this 'torture' sooner than you thought." Placing two of his fingers in his mouth, Bradley let out a high-pitched, piercing whistle. The roof began to quiver, and before Cheshire could see what was happening, the rest of his brothers were standing before him in a heap of rubble.

"Oh, hello little brother! What a surprise to see you here!" Envy squealed, his giggles joining his brothers'.

"Now. Let us begin," Bradley growled, drawing his sword.


End file.
